Peer Review

Dark Reactions of Photosynthesis

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Dec 1, 2011 by Biology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: The site, “Dark Reactions of Photosynthesis” is part of a larger site by John Kyrk on Cell Biology Animations (http://www.johnkyrk.com/). This particular subsite includes nice, detailed molecular animations for each of the steps of the Calvin Cycle. The animated outlines allow for the user to move step-by-step through the animations, which provides the student with the opportunity to move at their own pace in order to comprehend the biological and/or chemical concept being presented. This animation of the Calvin Cycle is accurate, colorful, and informative.
Type of Material:: Animations presented at this site can be used in the classroom or by an individual for interactive learning.
Recommended Uses:: Although the animations can be used in the classroom, they will be more useful as a supplement to classroom instruction.
Technical Requirements:: The individual components of the site are Flash animations, and as such, Adobe Flash Player is required.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: Biosynthetic reactions (dark phase or Calvin Cycle) provide the student with the opportunity to explore the chemical processes and energy requirements involved in the dark reactions of photosynthesis.
Target Student Population:: High school students in Advanced Placement Biology courses could benefit from this site. College students in Biology or Botany related courses and/or majors will find this material very useful.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: This site requires some previous knowledge of chemistry and to some extent, biochemistry.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The Flash animations are very high quality and very detailed
The steps of the dark reactions are covered well and the implications for energy consumption are straightforward
The molecules are easy to follow once the user checks out the key at the top of the page, or if the student has worked with molecular models in the classroom
Animations are smooth and informative
Color usage is logical
The ability to enlarge the animation to fill the screen is nice

Concerns:

The screen may be a little too busy for some students.
It was initially unclear that the <--> symbol switched the animation to full screen

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The chemical processes presented in the dark reactions are for more advanced high school students or college students, so it may not be best suited as introductory material
A lot of thought was put into the animations so that they illustrate the effects of adding or taking away atoms from molecules
The vibrating portions of the molecules are an excellent way to show the student that the molecule is being prepared to be split
Good detail is provided for reactions as well as intermediates
The energy meter makes a direct connection for the student to the fact that the dark reactions are consuming energy

Concerns:

There are no stated learning objectives
Prior knowledge or walking through the process with an instructor would be necessary to make the animations completely understandable to some students
The purpose of the dashed line is not clear
The overlapping of the text with the dashed line further blurs the intent of the dashed line

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The information is organized and follows a logical order
Animation flows very easily
Navigation is intuitive
No defective links or major bugs were found

Concerns:

Although not specifically included as part of this subsite, the reviewers checked the light reactions portion of the larger site and found that the navigation tool used in the light reactions to be preferred, since it allows the user to move both forward and backward through the reaction steps
In the dark reactions, users can only move forward unless they click on the molecules shown on the right hand side of the animation
With the multiple sets of molecules presented on the right side and left side, it is initially unclear where the user should focus; once the user figures out that clicking in the work space moves the process forward, the utility of the animations becomes more obvious and easy to use

Other Issues and Comments:: This is a very good animation of the Calvin Cycle that makes it very easy to show the steps in a more engaging manner for students.
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